Educational background

Experience

19 years in Early Childhood Education, including teaching and direction

Plans for future

I have been very fortunate to be part of Adventure Club. I feel Adventure Club Preschool is where I belong! My goal ​is to build and support this amazing community program!

Teaching philosophy

I believe a strong Early Childhood Education is the foundation for a joy of lifelong learning. It is so amazing to see children grow emotionally, socially and developmentally over the course of a year and I am so lucky to be part of such a wonderful period of time for each and every child in our program!

Experience

Plans for future

I have enjoyed my time at Adventure Club and plan to stay as long as needed. I also a substitute teach at my children’s charter school.

Teaching philosophy

I believe in building a strong foundation in young children’s education and making learning fun so they will want to continue to learn and enjoy school. It is fun to watch the tremendous growth in these kids from the beginning of the year to the end.

Personal information

My husband and I are parents to two kids, a girl (14) and a boy (8), both of whom attended Adventure Club PreK and were more than prepared for Kindergarten. I love to read when I have time. I just finished my second term on the Governing Board at my children’s charter school at the end of the 2015-2016 year.

Davina Nery
Lead Teacher

Educational background

Early Childhood Certification from Arapahoe Community College

BA in Behavioral Science with a focus in Psychology and a minor in Sociology

Experience

I have been with the Town of Castle Rock and the Adventure Preschool program for 13 years. When I started we had a very small program that was in the child care room, then we had the addition of actual classrooms which was really neat to be a part of.

Teaching philosophy

Over the years my teaching philosophy has changed, focusing on different areas (social and academic) and learning new things along the way. I feel it is vital for children to learn academically and socially. They need to be challenged academically, nurtured socially and most important to have some fun!

Personal information

I married my high school sweetheart and we have two amazing children, one boy and one girl. My son is four years old and attended the wonderful program here at Adventure Club Preschool; my daughter is one and gets to spend her day with her harmae (grandmother) when I am teaching. I enjoy a good cup of coffee, the cool fall air and being outdoors (mostly hiking).

Gina Ordunez
Lead Teacher / Teaching Assistant

Educational background

Elementary Education at Metro State and Arapahoe Community College

Early Childhood Education teaching certification from Adams State College

Experience

I have been with the Town of Castle Rock at the Adventure Club teaching Pre-K and Preschool for 11 years. I am truly fortunate to work with wonderful friends and great families, I love coming to work!

Teaching philosophy

I believe all children have a natural desire to learn and it is my job to nurture that desire and make their “first” school experience a great one! I believe every child is unique in their own abilities and talents and I embrace that individuality. I feel parents are very important in their children’s education; they truly need to advocate for their children and be hands on in their child’s educational journey! I believe all children learn differently and I feel as a teacher I need to be flexible in my teaching to adapt to each class and child according to those needs. I love fun, I love silly, I love messy, so you will see a lot of that in my classes!

Personal information

I love scrap booking and reading! In my “free” time I enjoy cooking and an occasional manicure and pedicure! My family consists of our rescue dogs (Miles, Ferris and Cylus), a Chinchilla named Crash and our three wonderful boys, Gabriel (22), Ryan (18) and Halen (15). I have been married to my high school sweetheart and best friend, Dave, for 25 years! We are very active in the community with the boys and their sporting events! Yes, out youngest son Halen is named after the 80’s rock band Van Halen!

Jeri Ensign
Teaching Assistant

Educational background

Graduated from Pima Medical Institute

Experience

Before coming to Adventure Club Preschool, I enjoyed working in Tykes Toyland daycare.

Teaching philosophy

I am passionate about making a difference in children’s lives and creating a positive first experience with school. I believe that children need a safe and caring place to learn while having a ton of fun doing it.

Personal information

I have been blessed with the opportunity to stay home with my son for the past seven years. My husband Tyler and I have lived in Castle Rock for three years. Prior the moving to Castle Rock, my husband was in the Navy so we moved around quite a bit. We absolutely love it here! We have one son, Travis, who is seven years old and two dogs, Sage and CeCe, and two goldfish. My favorite thing to do is spend time with family. We love fishing and camping and mostly anything outdoors. I love music, movies and reading a good book.

Julie Waggoner
Lead Teacher

Educational background

BA in Social Sciences and Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado

Experience

I taught third grade for two years and second grade for five years at Coyote Creek Elementary in Highlands Ranch. I have been at Adventure Club for six years now.

Teaching philosophy

I believe all kids have the internal desire to learn. I believe their desire needs to be fostered and developed by hands-on, fun and creative activities. I want kids to love learning and have a very positive first experience with school.

Personal information

My husband, Aaron, and I have been living in Castle Rock for 15 years. We have three wonderful little boys ages 11, 9 and 7. All three of our boys have gone to school at Adventure Club. We absolutely love this school! I love to spend time with my family doing anything outdoors such as camping and biking. We also spend a large portion of our weekends on sports fields with our very active boys!

​Kendell Black
Lead Teacher / Teaching Assistant

Educational background

BA in History and Elementary Education from the University of Northern Colorado

Experience

Worked with children for over 14 years, early childhood teacher for 10 years

Teaching philosophy

I believe education is an individual endeavor and students need to be motivated to learn within themselves. I motivate my students to learn through fun and interesting activities that let them use their creativity and make learning a fun and exciting experience. This is just the beginning of their school experience and I strive to instill the love of learning in all of my students.

Personal information

I love teaching preschool and enjoy being part of the Adventure Club Preschool. My goal is to continue teaching and building our program. I enjoy spending time with my husband and my 11-year-old son, Jackson, our cat, Freddy and our puppy, Juno. In my spare time I enjoy reading, cooking and yoga.

Mindy Fortin
Lead Teacher

Educational background

Graduated from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln (Go Huskers!)

Early Childhood Education Large Center Directors certificate

Experience

Before coming to Castle Rock, I taught high risk and special needs preschoolers for Denver Public Schools. This is my 11th year with the Adventure Club Preschool program.

Teaching philosophy

I believe children are unique and learn at different rates and in different ways. I feel Adventure Club Preschool program provides a diverse curriculum that is child-centered with hands on exploration. I believe in giving children the time and opportunity to learn through play, exploration, curiosity, problem solving and interaction with others. I also believe in engaging children in worthwhile experiences that are meaningful, active, challenging, developmentally appropriate, relevant and interesting to each individual child. I feel it is important to do ongoing assessment and planning according to the child’s needs, interests and skills. Finally, I think parent involvement is extremely important for a child’s successes in the classroom.

Personal information

In the future I would love to run my own preschool program for inner city children. But for now, I enjoy spending time with my girls! I have two daughters, Olivia (12) and Lillian (9). I also love spending time with my family and friends, and enjoying everything Colorado has to offer.

Missy Gold
Teaching Assistant

Educational background

Graduated from the University of Northern Colorado

Experience

Before coming to the Adventure Club preschool, I enjoyed working in Tykes Toyland and substituting at Adventure Club.

Teaching philosophy

I believe children need a secure, caring and stimulating atmosphere to grow and learn.

Personal information

I have had the opportunity to stay home with my children for the past six years. I have loved being able to spend so much time with them. In my free time, I am kept busy with many after school activities ranging from football to dance. As a family, we are camping fanatics! I also make yummy chocolate goodies in my free time. I have been married to my husband, Nate, for eight years. We have a son, Noah (7) and a daughter, Maddison (5), two dogs Hazel and Camo, some fish and three hermit crabs.